Rapidly retractable pencil mechanism



C. GRETZ RAPIDLY RETRACTABLE PENCIL MECHANISM Oct. 15, 1963 Filed May 1, 1961 FIG. l.

INVENTOR. CHARLES GRETZ BY WM ATTORNEY` United States Patent 3,106,968 RAPIDLY RETRACTABLE PENCIL IVIECHANISM Charles Gretz, Calabasas, Calif., assigner to L. H. Mellin, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 1, 1961, Ser. No. 166,965 11 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-18) This invention relates to pencils, and particularly to a crayon type eyebrow pencil which is `adapted to be reloaded `or relled with new crayons.

Current pencils embodying Sharpeners thereon and adapted to be reloaded with replaceable crayons are well known, as evidenced by the pencils disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,565,715, of August 28, 1951, Patent No. 2,979,029, of April ll, 1961, and pending patent application, Serial No. 805,584, filed April 1G, 1959. The mechanism of these pencils require that new crayons be threaded `on to the end of the threaded crayon advancing or retracting rods or screws, after which they are threaded back into the crayon holders of the pencils. This invention is particularly adaptable to crayon eyebrow pencils which are tted with Sharpeners for ,maintaining the points of the crayons sharp at all times. To obtain a -good sharpening action, the crayon propelling or advancing screw is provided with a very tine thread, such as 84 per inch, this line pitch providing the proper l.axial movement of the crayon into the Sharpener. Now, when a crayon has been `depleted and the new crayon is threaded on the end of the advancing threaded rod or screw, it is necessary to retract the new crayon back into the crayon holder. In view of the tine thread, this requires some time to accomplish and the crayon can be damaged.

The present invention is directed to a crayon eyebrow pencil refill mechanism which permits the new crayon to be retracted within the crayon holder immediately after its attachment to the threaded rod or advancing screw. This is accomplished by utilizing a spring which is cornpressed during the advancement ot the crayon by the screw during the sharpening action and the release of the threads of the sorew from its cooperating threads to permit the spring to snap the crayon into the crayon holder and return the screw to its starting position.

The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to lfacilitate the reloading or refilling of the crayon holder of a pencil with new crayons.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide an improved reloading or reiilling mechanism yfor crayon pencils.

A further object of the invention is to provide a crayon pencil mechanism which permits the rapid positioning of a new crayon within the crayon holder of the pencil.

A better understanding of this invention may be had from the following description when read in connection with the accompmying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a cross-sectional view of a crayon pencil embodying the invention but without a crayon;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pencil shown in FIG. l with a new crayon in position;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. l; and Y y FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of FIG. l2.

Referring, now, to the drawings in which the same numerals identify the same elements, a crayon pencil has a body casing or shell 5 closed at one end and open at the other end. The internal bore 6 of the lower portion of the -shell 5 is hexagonal in shape and, as shown in FIG. 3, accommodates a hexagonal head of `a threaded rod `or Iscrew S. Any suitable configuration of the bore 6 and head 7 which will cause rotation of the rod or screw with rotation ot the casing 5 may be used. The upper end of the rod S, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, has a threaded 3*, l 015,908 Patented Oct. 15, 1963 ICC decreased diameter portion 10 to which a cu-p or socket 12 of a crayon 13 is threaded.

Mounted in the upper end portion of the shell or casing 5 is a hollow cylindrical locking sleeve member 15 which has a shoulder 16 and an annular tapered ring 17 in an 'annular recess 21. The lower end 21)i `of member 15 is inwardly tapered. Thus, the -sleeve member 15 may be axially locked to the .casing 5 by inserting the member 15 into the open end of the casing and by axial pressure on member 15 to slight-ly expand the end of the casing, moving the member 15 into the casing until the ring 17 reaches the recess 21 and the shoulder 23 of the member 15 contacts the end or" casing 5. Since the contact-- ing surfaces of the ring 17 and recess 21 are at right angles to the axis of the pencil, the member 15 is axially fixed in the casing t5 but is rotatable with respect thereto.

Partially within and partially without the cylindrical sleeve member 15 is a crayon holder 25 with an upper hollow cylindrical portion having a recess 26 therein with a shoulder 27. The lower portion of the holder 25 has tour flexible lfingers 30 and tapered ends 31, the innerrsurfaces of which are provided with threads having the same pitch as the threads of screw 8. Mounted in the recess 26 of the holder 25 is a compression spring 28, one end of which Iabuts the shoulder 16 of member 15, and the other end of which abuts shoulder 27 on holder 25. The holder is thus being normally urged or biased axially from the rod 8, which urges the externally tapered sides of ends 31 of tingers 3i) against the tapered end of member 15. In this manner, the threads of the lingers 30 are normally maintained in mesh with the threads of rod orY lscrew 8 so that any rotation of rod 8 with respect to the holder 25 will `advance or retract the crayon 13 in itsV holder 25 in laccordance with the direction of rotation of the rod 8.' r

When a Sharpener, such `as `shown in the above-mentioned patents and application, is mounted on member 15 and holder 25, rotation of the crayon with respect to the sharpener to advance the crayon will sharpen the crayon. With continued use and sharpening, the crayon will eventually Ibe depleted and can be removed by unthreading the socket 12 vfrom the tip 10, -as shown in FIG. y1, and a new crayon rethreaded on the tip 111 as shown in FIG. 2. f

Again referring to FIGS. l and 2, a iloating ring or collet 33 having a slightly tapered -cylindrical lower portion 34 and a collar portion 35 with an externally tapered surface loosely surrounds rod 8. A compression spring 37 also surrounds rod 8, 'one end of the spring abutting head 7 and the other end of the spring being mounted on portion 34 of ring 33 and abutting collar 35 of the ring. Thus, the compression of spring 37 urges or biases the tapered surface of collarv 35 against the internally tapered surfaces of the ends 31 of fingers 30. This bias, however, is insutiicient to disengage the threads of the fingers 311 from the threads or Vthe rod S since the bias of spring 28 is such as to maintain the threads engaged.

However, should it be desired to disengage the threads 4of fingers 30 (from lthe threads of rod 8, it is only necessary to apply axial pressure to holder 25 toward the screw 8 to compress spring 28 which will torce the ends of fingers 30 radially from the rod 8 and the compression of spring 37 will snap the rod or screw 8 back into the casing 5. Should a crayon be attached to tip 10, the crayon will be snapped back into the crayon holder as shown in FIG. 2. It will be noted that the internal diameter of the inner portion of member 15 is greater than the external diameter of iingers 31D so that the fingers can radially expand to release the rod 8.

The above construction thus facilitates the substitution of a new crayon for a depleted one, since it is only necessary to unthread the socket of the depleted crayon when the rod or screw 8 reaches the position shown in FIG. 1 and to thread on a new crayon. Then by simply applying a slight axial pressure on crayon holder 25 to compress spring 28 and release fingers 30 from the rod or screw 8, the screw and crayon will snap back to the position shown in FIG. 2. The crayon is then ready for use or sharpening.

I claim:

1. A crayon pencil comprising an open-ended casing, a threaded rod in said casing and adapted to be moved axially therein, one end of said rod being adapted to have a crayon attached thereto, a holder for said crayon, said holder having a portion thereof within said casing, means on said crayon holder for advancing said crayon therethrough during relative rotation of said rod with respect to said holder, said means including resilient threaded means surrounding said rod and adapted to engage the threads of said rod, a second resilient means surrounding said crayon holder and adapted to normally urge said resilient threaded means into engagement with the threads of said rod, a third resilient means Surrounding said rod and compressed by the advancement of said rod within said crayon holder, and means adapted to disengage the threads of said resilient threaded means from the threads of said rod to permit the rapid return of said rod into said shell by said third resilient means upon the axial movement of said crayon holder toward said rod.

2. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 1 in which said resilient threaded means is a plurality of exible fingers having portions of their inner end surfaces threadedto engage the threads of said rod.

3. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 2 in which said third resilient means is a coil spring surrounding said rod, said rod having a head at one end thereof against which one end of said spring abuts, a collar ring being provided on said rod against which the other end of said spring abuts.

4. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 3 in which said thread disengaging means includes said collar ring, said collar ring having a tapered end for urging the threaded ends of said fingers from said rod upon said axial movement of said crayon holder toward said rod, said second resilient means urging the threaded ends of said fingers toward said rod, said second resilient means being compressed by the axial movement of said crayon holder.

5. A crayon pencil comprising a hollow body portion having a closed end and an open end, a hollow cylindrical portion having 'a section thereof within the open end of said body portion and another section thereof extending from said open end of said body portion, said cylindrical portion being fixed axially with respect to said body portion, a crayon holding portion having a section within and a section external of said cylindrical portion, said holder being axially movable in said cylindrical portion, means for resiliently biasing said crayon holding portion outwardly from said cylindrical portion, said crayon holding portion being movable axially within said cylindrical portion against said bias, a threaded screw movable axially within said body portion and threaded to a section of said crayon holding portion, said screw being adapted to have a crayon attached to one end thereof, movement of said crayon holding portion against said bias disconnecting said screw from said threaded l section of said crayon holding portion, and resilient means surrounding said screw for exerting axial pressure on said screw for axially moving said screw into said body portion and any crayon attached to said screw into said crayon holding portion.

6. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 5 in which said threaded section of said crayon holding portion is composed of a plurality of flexible fingers having threads on the inner surfaces thereof adjacent the ends of said fingers for engaging the threads of said screw when said crayon holding portion is resiliently biased.

7. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 5 in which said means for biasing said crayon holding portion includes a coil spring around said crayon holding portion and within said cylindrical portion, one end of said spring abutting a shoulder of said crayon holding portion and the other end of said spring abutting a shoulder of said cylindrical portion. i 8. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 6 in which means are provided at one end of said screw for moving the ends of said tingers from said screw when said crayon holding portion is moved toward said screw, the inner end of said cylindrical portion moving the ends of said fingers toward said screw when said crayon holding portion is moved away from said screw.

9. A crayon pencil comprising a hollow casing closed at one end and open at the other end, a threaded screw in said casing and rotatable with said casing, resilient means for biasing said screw toward said closed end of said casing, a crayon holder positioned partially within said open end of said casing and movable axially therein, means for attaching the crayon in said holder to the end of said screw, means on said holder for threadedly engaging the threads of said screw, second resilient means surrounding said crayon holder and urging said holder outwardly from said casing to urge said last-mentioned means toward said screw, and means mounted on said screw for releasing said last-mentioned means from said screw when the bias of said second resilient means is removed by movement of said crayon holder toward said screw.

10. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 9 in which said last-mentioned means is a plurality of fiexible fingers on said crayon holder, the inner surfaces of the ends thereof being threaded to engage the threads of said screw.

11. A crayon pencil in accordance with claim 9 in which a hollow cylindrical member is provided between said casing and said crayon holder and in which said crayon holder is movable axially, the inner end of said member being tapered to urge said last-mentioned means toward said screw under the bias of said second resilient means.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,349,025 Wahl Aug. 10, 1920 1,574,457 Wahl Feb. 23, 1926 1,594,978 Peterson Aug. 3, 1926 2,530,901 Nichols Nov. 21, 1950 2,839,029 Melnikof June 17, 1958 2,990,205 Weisser June 27, 1961 

1. A CRAYON PENCIL COMPRISING AN OPEN-ENDED CASING, A THREADED ROD IN SAID CASING AND ADAPTED TO BE MOVED AXIALLY THEREIN ONE END OF SAID BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE A CRAYON ATTACHED THERETO, A HOLDER FOR SAID CRAYON, SAID HOLDER HAVING A PORTION THEREOF WITHIN SAID CASING, MEANS ON SAID CRAYON HOLDER FOR ADVANCING SAID CRAYON THERETHROUGH DURING RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID ROD WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOLDER, SAID MEANS INCLUDING RESILIENT THREADED MEANS SURROUNDING SAID ROD AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE THREADS OF SAID ROD, A SECOND RESILIENT MEANS SURROUNDING SAID CRAYON HOLDER AND ADAPTED TO NORMALLY URGE SAID RESILIENT THREADED MEANS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE THREADS OF SAID ROD, A THIRD RESILIENT MEANS SURROUNDING SAID ROD AND COMPRESSED BY THE ADVANCEMENT OF SAID ROD WITHIN SAID CRAYON HOLDER, AND MEANS ADAPTED TO DISENGAGE THE THREADS OF SAID RESILIENT THREADED MEANS FROM THE THREADS OF SAID ROD TO PERMIT THE RAPID RETURN OF SAID ROD INTO SAID SHELL BY SAID THIRD RESILIENT MEANS UPON THE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CRAYON HOLDER TOWARD SAID ROD. 